Ungerminated sweetcorn seeds

[flynch]

The first week of May I sowed 3 types of sweetcorn swift, white queen and bloody butcher. Nearly all of swift have come up but nothing yet on the white and butcher. I've dug up a couple of seeds, they haven't been eaten nor do they look like they are rotting. Are they being a bit slow or have they failed? Anyone tried these varieties and had anything similar happen?

[Cadalot]

On the 13th May I sowed 45 number Marshalls Alliance Sweetcorn into plastic flexi-pots surrounded by bubble wrap and sat them on the concrete paving of the Space Saver Greenhouse. 17 days later and germination was 40 out of 45 = Germination Rate of 89%

[nickdub]

The first week of May I sowed 3 types of sweetcorn swift, white queen and bloody butcher. Nearly all of swift have come up but nothing yet on the white and butcher. I've dug up a couple of seeds, they haven't been eaten nor do they look like they are rotting. Are they being a bit slow or have they failed? Anyone tried these varieties and had anything similar happen?

How much warmth are you giving them ?

[greenishfing]

I showed my first attempt mid-March. Nothing appeared.The end of March I bunged another seed in each pot. Nothing appeared. These were all 'Lark' that I bought in the 50p sale at Wyvale. I went to my local garden centre and bought another packet of Lark and planted them in the same pots. They came up within a week and a few of the others as well. They have grown like mad and are now planted out (about 6-8 inches tall). I know it was the last lot that germinated as they were in square pots, the first planting went in the middle, second back left and third front right. I won't buy "old" sweetcorn seeds again. By the way does anyone know where I can buy the flexipotslike Cadalot has in his photo?
I germinated them on a South facing windowsill.

[flynch]

Directly sown into the ground, so just outside ambient temperature.

[flynch]

I showed my first attempt mid-March. Nothing appeared.The end of March I bunged another seed in each pot. Nothing appeared. These were all 'Lark' that I bought in the 50p sale at Wyvale. I went to my local garden centre and bought another packet of Lark and planted them in the same pots. They came up within a week and a few of the others as well. They have grown like mad and are now planted out (about 6-8 inches tall). I know it was the last lot that germinated as they were in square pots, the first planting went in the middle, second back left and third front right. I won't buy "old" sweetcorn seeds again. By the way does anyone know where I can buy the flexipotslike Cadalot has in his photo?
I germinated them on a South facing windowsill.

All seeds are from the same supplier and all in date. Was wondering if some varieties take longer to germinate.

[flynch]

That's what all my swift look like, about 90% germination. White queen and bloody butcher look the same as the day I sowed them.

[burnie]

Sweetcorn seems to be an intermittent performer, one year I gave up and bought some plants, only for the ones I sowed to appear a couple of days later, last year I had very good germination, this year a third germinated, so I sowed some more and all those came up and they were from the same packet.

[nickdub]

Directly sown into the ground, so just outside ambient temperature.

I'd always recommend chitting them inside first for a few days in the warm before sowing, unless you happen to live somewhere with really hot weather.

[Martin H]

I'd always recommend chitting them inside first for a few days in the warm before sowing, unless you happen to live somewhere with really hot weather.

Me too. Put them on wet kitchen paper inside a plastic bag somewhere warm. In a few days you'll see a root poking out on most of them, sow them straight away before the root gets too long. If you haven't got enough after a couple more days, chit some more.

[ameno]

I'd always recommend chitting them inside first for a few days in the warm before sowing, unless you happen to live somewhere with really hot weather.

Me, too. Put mine on damp kitchen roll in my heated propagator and most had sprouted within 24 hours, and the rest the day after that.

[flynch]

Thanks I'll try again indoors. Maybe swift is a little more cold tolerant than white queen and bloody butcher.

[Snoop Puss]

One thing, Flynch, unless your different varieties of sweetcorn start to pollinate at different times, it's best to keep them a very long way apart (recommendations in the States suggest 250 feet between varieties). If you can't manage that, you might think about growing only one variety each year. Cross-pollination by different varieties can make kernels a bit tough and not as sweet.

[Cadalot]

How much warmth are you giving them ?

Only what the sun provides the sun hits the greenhouse around 6:30 by 10:00 its in shade and this time of year you are not getting massive temperatures in there at the moment 6:51 its between 15.8 - 16.8C it will max out about 27 - 29 because its a sunny day today. They do have bubblewrap in the bottom and around the mushroom to keep them warm at night because they are on concrete paving slabs.